Refrigerator



T. J. CLINTON.

REFRIGERATOR.

APPLICATloN FILED Nov.11,191a.

1,404, 1 91. Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REFBIGERATOR.

Specincation of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

Application filed November 11, 1918. Serial No. 261,969.

fo all lwhom t may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMASv J. CLINTON, a citizen. of the United States,residing at Detroit, county of Wayne, State ofv Michigan, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Refrigerators, and de clare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in refrigerators and is acontinuation of my application Serialv No. 162,424, filed April 6,191'?, as to all common subjectmatter. The primary object of this`invention is to provide a refrigerator of a construction of suchcharacter that the carbon dioxide usually given off by food in a storagecompartment is eliminated and replaced by fresh air of a temperaturebelow that of atmospheric air, and furtherwto provide a construction inwhich the accumulation of lmoisture within the storage compartment isreduced to a minimum and produce a more rapid circulation of cooled airwithin the compartment. I Y

In practice I have found that the decay of the fruit and deteriorationof meat and similar perishable products is caused largely by thepresence of gas arising from the product (principally carbon dioxide)and moisture which forms a slime permeat-ing the product and hasteningits ripening or decay. The principal object of this invention isconstruction by means of whichv Such gases and moisture may pass fromthe storage compartment andv fresh previously cooled air introduced intothe circulating medium without increasingpthe temperature of the storagecompartment to a detrimental degree. These and other objects and theseveral novel features of the .invention are hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed and shown in preferred form in the accompanyingdrawings in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a refrigeratorembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on line ofFig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal` section taken .on line y-y of Fig. 1.

As will be readily understood, the general type of construction hereinillustrated may be usedk with any type of refrigerator and thedescription of the storage co1npartment, while specific to the one shownin detail in the drawings will apply generally to the various type ofrefrigerators whether cooled by natural ice or by artificial systems andto either stationary or movable refrigerators. The refrigeratorindicated is of an ordinary type having a storage compartment 1 and anice compartment 2 formed at one side thereof which is in the nature of abunker having an apertured bottom 3 and a drain pipe 4ta. Thisparticular means for icing, however. is not material and is shown onlyto illustrate the principles of operation. In whatever type ofrefrigerator the invention is to be applied I provide what l have termedthe tempering compartment 4 adjacent the ice compartment, beingseparated therefrom only by the wall 5 as indicated. This temperingvcompartment 4t is closed or sealed except as to an outlet G into thestorage compartment at about the top of the ice compartment and anopening formed by the tube 7 through the exterior wall of therefrigerator to atmosphere. This latter tube 7 should be positioned outof alignment with the aperture 6 in the wall 5 and preferably above theaperture as is indicated in Fig. 1. A false ceiling 8 is also providedinthe refrigerator forming a flue 9 between. the false ceiling S and topof the refrigerator preferably extending entirely across. therefrigerator as will be understood from Fig. being supported b vlongitudinal strips l0 in staggered relation as shown. This falseceiling 8 is provided with a slot 11 preferably extending entirelyacross the refrigerator near the end of the storage compartment andpreferably opposite the ice chamber or remote from it. being preferablysome little. distance from the opposite wall for reasons as willhereinafter appear. ln. the construction here shown, an outlet tube l2for the flue 9 is provided directly over the ice chamber at the side ofthe refrigerator opposite the inlet slot 11, and the supporting members10 of the false ceiling terminate short of the said outlet end in orderthat gas flowing into the slot 11 at any point may pass out through thetube 12 eliminating deadair spaces in the said flue.

By reason of contact'of the atmosphere of the storage compartment withthe ice chamber wall and with the ice or refrigerating element, theatmosphere of the storage chamber will circulate substantially asindicated current would naturally strike the ceiling and provides aready outlet for the gases that are forced to this point. The slot islocated some little distance forward of the chamber wall and clear ofthedead air space formed at the croner of the chamber.

Carbon dioxide, although being heavier than air, tends to fall towardthe bottom the compartment but, due to the cooling effect of the icechamber and the tendency of the atmosphere adjacent thereto to iiowdownward, such gases are forced to circulate with. the warmer andlighter gases and thus are brought to a point where the may pass oil'through the iiue 9. This. disc large of gases and lighter constituentsand' moist-ure .is accomplished as fresh. air may be drawn into thecompartment through the aperture 6 and tube7 so there is no tendency toproduce vdiminished pressure within the compartment. By arranging thetube 7 and Y aperture 6 in the manner heretofore stated,

atmospheric air may flow into the chamber 4 through ithe tube 7contacting the inner wall 5 of the tempering chamber which is naturallycold by reason of its being contiguous to the cooling medium. The air isthus cooled as it enters the chamber 4 and tends to fall in the saidchamber Vwhenever any diminished pressure occurs thereinv which would beby reason of air `flowing through the apertures 6 to replacethe gases*passing through the outlet l1. The air passing into the circulatingmedium in the storage compartment is thus previously cooled tending tocondense the moisture therein and in passing across the top of the iceas shown is further cooled and thus enters the storage compartmentproper practically dry and in condition to absorb mo-isture and heatfrom the stored product. The condensation passes out through the drainpipe 4. This warmer air ofcourse tends to rise and pass out through theflue and thus a natural circulation is induced far Imore rapid than inthe closed type of refrigerator in which the atmosphere soon becomesdead by reason of its entire volume being nearly of the sametemperature.

The peculiar construction shown therefore is productive of more Vrapidcirculation, eliminates the Warmer? gases which become laden withvmoisture within the. compartment, and the air flowing into thecompartment has the moisture partially at least discharged therefromprior to entering the storage compartment which is maintainedpractically free from moisture, and the gases are discharged therefrompractically as rapidly as produced by the stored product. By eliminatingthe moisture and the gases as stated,

thetendency off deterioration is reduced to a minimum and as circulationis maintained at amaximum every part of the compartf ment is subjectedto fresh cold air, and a refrigerator more highly efiicient than theusual type is secured.

It is to be understood that the openings 6,

7 and l2 are not of very great capacity. The` apertures 6 and 7 areabout three-eighthsV of an inch in diameter for an ordinary. householdrefrigerator and the discharge tubelQ 1s somewhat larger in diameter,but

these diameters may be varied somewhat and naturally must be increasedfor Yrefrigerators of much great capacity. The apertures are thereforeinsufficient to cause any rapid discharge of gas, the purpose being onlyto cause a suflicient discharge to take care of accumulation of thegases in the compari;- ment. The aperture tube 12 is made larger thanthe inlet so that the gases may have a free exit.

In refrigerators in use I have found that meat for instance will becomethoroughly dry after a period without becoming contaminated in any way,and that raspberries for instance, which in an ordinary refrigeratorbecome covered with a mold, may remain for months in my improvedrefrigerator. withoutjany mold appearing, the only effeet being ayshrinkage in size. Also salt maintained for several weeks in thisrefrigerator remains perfectly dry eventhough adjacent theicejcompartment indicating that the atmosphere of the compartment ispracticaly free frommoisture and the lfact that meatand other articlesdo not decay or becomeputrid even after a long period of time indicatesthat the gases arising from the:A

product arevcompletely discharged. Circulation of a substantially purecold airis .therefore accomplished bythe construction described.

VllVith other arrangementsiof ice comlpar-tment thanA is here shown,slightly different 1. Ina refrigerator, in combination, a

casing forming a storage compartment, an ice chamber therewithm at oneside of the lstorage compartment, an inlet to atmosphere opening intothe storage compartment `over,

the top of the ice chamber, aiue for gases extending across the top ofthe storage compartment and open to the compartmentat a distance fromthe ice chamber and through the top of the refrigerator at a pointremote from its inlet to the storage compartment.

2. In a refrigerator in combination, a casing forming a storagecompartment, an ice compartment therewithin at one side of the storagecompartment, said ice compartment being open to the storage compartmentat the top, a tempering chamber the inner wall of which forms a Wall ot'the ice compartment, said tempering chamber having an opening into thestorage compartment just above the ice compartment and also having anopening' to atmosphere, a flue eX- tending across the top of therefrigerator above the ice compartment and having an opening into thestorage chamberI at a point remote from the ice compartment, said fluedischarging to atmosphere at a point remote from the inlet.

3. In a refrigerator, a storage compartment, a cooling chamber at oneend spaced from the Wall of the storage compartment providing an airchamber between the cooling chamber and Wall of the storage compartment7said air chamber having an opening to atmosphere through the Wall of thestorage compartment and having an opening leading into the storageVchamber out of alignment with the said opening to atmosphere, and aflue provided in the ceiling of the compartment having an opening intothe storage compartment at a point remote from the ice compartment andalso provided With an opening discharging to atmosphere.

4. In a refrigerator, astorage compartment. a cooling medium compartmentthere- Within open to the storage compartment at the top, said coolingmedium compartment being spaced from the Wall of the storage compartmentproviding a tempering chamber, said tempering chamber having an openingin communication with atmos pliere and an opening leading into thestorage compartment, a shield extending across the upper side of thecompartment open to atmosphere through the top of the refrigerator atone end and opening into the storage compartment near the opposite end.

5. In a refrigerator, a storage compartment, an ice chamber at one endspaced from the Wall of the storage compartment and providing an airspace closed t the storage compartment at the bottom and provided withan opening in the upper end over the ice compartment, a passageway inthe outer casing out of alignment with the first named opening andproviding an inlet to the said air space and an outlet passage- Way inthe upper side of the storage compartment opening thereinto above theinlet.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification.

THOMAS J. CLINTON.

